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Could pond scum hold the key to anti-aging elixirs?

December 17, 2024 - by USA Facts News - Leave a Comment

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New study shows promising results for phytoene in extending lifespan, fighting Alzheimer’s disease

SEVILLE, Spain — In the quest for the fountain of youth, scientists may have stumbled upon an unexpected ally: a colorless compound found in microalgae. A new study reveals that phytoene, a precursor to more well-known carotenoids like lycopene, could have remarkable anti-aging properties.

The research, conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Seville and the University of Kent, used tiny worms called C. elegans as a model organism to investigate the effects of phytoene on aging and age-related diseases. Their findings, published in the journal Antioxidants, suggest that this often-overlooked compound might be a powerful tool in promoting longevity and protecting against oxidative stress and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

Phytoene is a carotenoid, part of a family of pigments that give many fruits and vegetables their vibrant colors. Unlike its more famous relatives such as beta-carotene or lycopene, phytoene is colorless and has largely been ignored in health research. However, this study indicates that it may be time for phytoene to step into the spotlight.

The researchers extracted phytoene-rich compounds from two species of microalgae: Chlorella sorokiniana and Dunaliella bardawil. These tiny aquatic organisms are known for their ability to produce high levels of various carotenoids, including phytoene. The team then tested these extracts, along with pure phytoene, on C. elegans worms to see how they affected various markers of health and aging.

The results were nothing short of impressive. Worms treated with phytoene or phytoene-rich extracts showed increased resistance to oxidative stress, living longer when exposed to a toxic compound called juglone. This suggests that phytoene acts as a powerful antioxidant, protecting cells from damage caused by harmful free radicals.

However, the benefits didn’t stop there. The researchers also tested phytoene’s effects on a worm model of Alzheimer’s disease. These genetically modified worms produce a toxic protein called amyloid-beta, similar to what’s found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Remarkably, phytoene and the microalgae extracts reduced the paralysis caused by this protein by 30-40%, indicating a potential protective effect against neurodegenerative diseases.

Perhaps most exciting of all, the study found that phytoene and phytoene-rich extracts extended the lifespan of C. elegans by 10-18.6%. While it’s important to note that results in worms don’t always translate directly to humans, this finding opens up intriguing possibilities for future anti-aging research.

Pain caused by arthritis / osteoarthritis — Researchers are revealing promising results of using phytoene to extend lifespans and fight Alzheimer’s disease. (© Evrymmnt – stock.adobe.com)

What makes phytoene so special?

The researchers believe its antioxidant properties play a key role. By neutralizing harmful free radicals, phytoene may help prevent cellular damage that contributes to aging and disease. Additionally, the compound might activate certain cellular pathways that promote longevity, though more research is needed to fully understand these mechanisms.

The study also highlights the potential of microalgae as a sustainable source of health-promoting compounds. Unlike traditional crops, microalgae can be grown quickly and efficiently without the need for large amounts of land or water. This makes them an attractive option for producing functional foods or supplements that could help promote healthy aging in our increasingly older population.

While more research is necessary before we start seeing phytoene supplements on store shelves, this study provides compelling evidence that this overlooked compound deserves further attention.

“These are very exciting preliminary results,” says study co-author Dr. Paula Mapelli Brahm in a statement. “We are looking for funding to continue this line of research and to find out by what mechanisms these effects are produced.”

Paper Summary

Methodology

The researchers used a variety of techniques to study phytoene’s effects. They grew two species of microalgae and used a special chemical to make them produce more phytoene. Then, they extracted the phytoene using a green solvent and sound waves. To test the effects, they used tiny worms called C. elegans, which are often used in aging research because they age quickly and share many genetic similarities with humans.

The worms were fed bacteria containing either the phytoene extracts or pure phytoene. The researchers then performed several tests, including exposing the worms to a toxic substance to measure stress resistance, using genetically modified worms to study Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, and tracking how long the worms lived under different conditions.

Key Results

The study found that phytoene and phytoene-rich extracts had several positive effects on the worms. When exposed to a toxic substance called juglone, worms treated with phytoene lived 39-53% longer than untreated worms, showing increased stress resistance. In the Alzheimer’s model, phytoene reduced paralysis caused by toxic proteins by 30-40%. Most importantly, worms treated with phytoene or the extracts lived 10-18.6% longer than untreated worms, suggesting a significant effect on lifespan.

Study Limitations

The study was conducted on C. elegans worms, which, while useful for aging research, are very different from humans. Results in worms don’t always translate directly to human biology. Additionally, the concentrations of phytoene used in the study may not be easily achievable through diet alone in humans. Further research is needed to determine if similar effects would be seen in more complex organisms and to understand the optimal dosage and delivery methods for potential human applications.

Discussion & Takeaways

The researchers suggest that phytoene’s effects are likely due to its antioxidant properties and potential activation of longevity-promoting cellular pathways. They note that while other carotenoids have been more extensively studied, phytoene may be just as important for health. The study also highlights the potential of microalgae as a sustainable source of health-promoting compounds.

The authors suggest that phytoene-rich microalgae extracts could be used to develop functional foods or supplements to promote healthy aging. However, they emphasize the need for further research to fully understand phytoene’s mechanisms of action and to explore its effects in more complex organisms.

Funding & Disclosures

The study was funded by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the European Regional Development Fund, and the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Some of the authors were supported by postdoctoral fellowships and grants from various Spanish institutions. One of the authors disclosed that they carry out consultancy work for various companies, while the other authors declared no conflicts of interest.

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Living to 150? Humans ‘not even close’ to reaching the maximum lifespan

December 17, 2024 - by USA Facts News - Leave a Comment

Italo Melo / pexels.com

ATHENS, Ga. — Human lifespans are capable of soaring past the current record of 122 years, with people possibly reaching the age of 150, a new study explains. According to a researcher at the University of Georgia, we are “not even close” to reaching the maximum potential lifespan.

The findings are based on an analysis of mortality rates going back more than three centuries across 19 countries. Lead author Dr. David McCarthy describes the implications as “profound.” For most of recorded human history, the average life expectancy has been between 20 and 40 years. Today, humans live to be around 80 years-old.

Improved nutrition, clean water, better sanitation, and the application of medical science have been key to prolonging life. Experts suspect genetic manipulation, calorie restriction, and new medicines may extend life even further.

The team in the study combined reasoning and probability – known as Bayesian theory – to work out potential maximum longevity. Results showed mortality limits have only been postponed in recent years due to records being slow to increase.

“We find cohorts born between around 1900 and 1950 are still too young to break longevity records,” Dr. McCarthy says in the journal PLoS ONE.

“As these cohorts attain advanced ages in coming decades, longevity records may therefore increase significantly. Our results confirm prior work suggesting that if there is a maximum limit to the human lifespan, we are not yet approaching it.”

old person birthday — (Credit: Anna Shvets from Pexels)

So, how long can people really live?

Two years ago, another study found life expectancy has the capacity to almost double, going beyond 150. Those findings were based on blood samples from thousands of British and American participants.

“Whether or not there is a limit to the human lifespan has been a subject of debate for millennia,” Dr. McCarthy continues. “Historical estimates of the maximum possible lifespan strongly suggest it has increased substantially over recorded history.”

The Bible famously records the Hebrews as regarding 80 years as the maximum length of a human life. Around 1,000 years later, the ancient Romans set their official estimate at 100 or 110.

“Modern longevity records are higher still – the current human longevity record is 122 but has remained unchanged since 1997,” Dr. McCarthy reports.

The world record is currently held by Jeanne Calment of France, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days-old when she died. The oldest known living person is Maria Branyas of Spain, who is 116. The oldest known living man is Juan Vicente Pérez of Venezuela, age 113.

“We emphasize further that cohorts born before 1950 will only have the potential to break existing longevity records if policy choices continue to support the health and welfare of the elderly and the political, environmental and economic environment remains stable,” Dr. Mccarthy concludes.

“The emergence of COVID-19 and its outsize effect on the mortality of the elderly provides a salutary warning that none of this is certain. If, however, the maximum age does increase as the current mortality experience of incomplete cohorts suggests is likely the implications for human societies, national economies and individual lives will be profound.”

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Is 100 the limit? Life expectancy gains are slowing down

December 17, 2024December 17, 2024 - by USA Facts News - Leave a Comment

100th Birthday Cake

(Photo by Savvapanf Photo on Shutterstock)

CHICAGO — Has the human lifespan been pushed as far as it can possibly go? Researchers in Chicago are throwing cold water on the idea that people may be able to live dramatically longer lives in the coming decades.

The study, led by S. Jay Olshansky and published in the journal Nature Aging, suggests that the rapid gains in life expectancy seen during the 20th century are now slowing significantly, and radical life extension beyond current levels is unlikely in this century. In simpler terms, scientists believe modern medicine has pushed the human lifespan to around 100 years, but it likely won’t go any higher than that in the future.

“Most people alive today at older ages are living on time that was manufactured by medicine,” says Olshansky, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Illinois Chicago, in a media release. “But these medical Band-Aids are producing fewer years of life even though they’re occurring at an accelerated pace, implying that the period of rapid increases in life expectancy is now documented to be over.”

Throughout the 1900s, life expectancy at birth in high-income countries surged by about 30 years, largely thanks to advances in public health and medicine. This remarkable progress led some scientists and futurists to predict that the trend would continue, with some even suggesting that most babies born today could live to see their 100th birthday.

However, Olshansky’s team found that improvements in life expectancy have actually slowed in the world’s longest-lived populations since 1990. They examined demographic data from eight countries with the highest life expectancies (Australia, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland), along with Hong Kong and the United States, spanning from 1990 to 2019.

The researchers discovered that the pace of life expectancy gains has slowed in every population studied except for people in Hong Kong. Even more tellingly, the most recent decade showed slower improvements compared to the 1990s across the board. In most of these countries, annual increases in life expectancy have dropped below 0.2 years – a far cry from the 0.3 years per year that defined the “radical life extension” of the 20th century.

Perhaps most surprisingly, the study suggests that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to push life expectancy any higher than it already stands. The researchers found that the reduction in overall mortality needed to raise life expectancy by just one year has actually increased since 1990. In other words, it now takes a larger improvement in survival rates to achieve the same gain in life expectancy.

“Our result overturns the conventional wisdom that the natural longevity endowment for our species is somewhere on the horizon ahead of us — a life expectancy beyond where we are today,” Olshansky continues. “Instead, it’s behind us — somewhere in the 30- to 60-year range. We’ve now proven that modern medicine is yielding incrementally smaller improvements in longevity even though medical advances are occurring at breakneck speed.”

The study also casts doubt on predictions that most people born today will live to 100 and possibly even further. Based on current trends, the researchers estimate that, at most, about 15% of women and 5% of men in any given population will reach the century mark – and even that figure may be optimistic.

Despite the apparent bad news, the Chicago team urges people to stay positive about the future. While their findings may be a roadblock to seeing your 200th birthday, this research isn’t the final word on the subject.

“This is a glass ceiling, not a brick wall,” Olshansky contends. “There’s plenty of room for improvement: for reducing risk factors, working to eliminate disparities and encouraging people to adopt healthier lifestyles – all of which can enable people to live longer and healthier. We can push through this glass health and longevity ceiling with geroscience and efforts to slow the effects of aging.”

Paper Summary

Methodology

The researchers analyzed life expectancy data and mortality rates from national databases, focusing on countries with the longest-lived populations. They used demographic techniques to calculate various measures of lifespan, including “life table entropy” (a measure of the dynamics of survival patterns) and “lifespan inequality” (which looks at the variability in ages at death). By examining how these measures changed over time, the team could assess whether life expectancy improvements were accelerating, decelerating, or holding steady.

Key Results

The study found that annual increases in life expectancy have slowed since 1990 in nearly all populations studied. The researchers also observed that it’s becoming harder to achieve further gains – the mortality reductions needed to raise life expectancy by one year are now larger than they were in the past. Additionally, the analysis showed that lifespan inequality (the variation in ages at death) has been decreasing, suggesting a compression of mortality into a narrower age range rather than a uniform shift to later ages.

Study Limitations

The study primarily focuses on high-income countries with already long-lived populations, so the findings may not apply to developing nations that still have room for rapid life expectancy gains. Additionally, while the researchers consider potential future medical advances, the unpredictable nature of scientific breakthroughs means long-term projections always carry some uncertainty.

Discussion & Takeaways

The researchers argue that we’re approaching a “second soft limit” to longevity – one that’s less responsive to disease treatment but could potentially be overcome by interventions that slow the biological aging process. They suggest that rather than assuming continued rapid increases in lifespan, policymakers and industries (like insurance and retirement planning) should adjust their expectations. However, they also emphasize that this isn’t a pessimistic view – rather, it’s a celebration of how far human longevity has already come.

Funding & Disclosures

The study received funding from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The American Federation for Aging Research provided funding for open-access publication. The authors declared no competing interests.

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Life expectancy to reach 80s by 2050, global forecast says

December 17, 2024 - by USA Facts News - Leave a Comment

Active senior couple engaging in healthy sports activies

SEATTLE — Close your eyes and imagine the world nearly three decades from now in 2050. What do you picture? Flying cars zooming through the skies? Robot assistants in every home? While the future may hold many technological wonders, there’s still one critical question to answer: what will the overall health of the human population look like? Luckily, a new study has some good news, finding that the average person will also be living longer in the future.

A comprehensive study published in The Lancet used cutting-edge modeling techniques to forecast disease burden, life expectancy, and population shifts for over 200 countries through 2050. It’s a crystal ball gaze at humanity’s health on a global scale.

So what did they find? Let’s start with the good news. Researchers from the Global Burden of Disease Study, an international consortium of experts, projects that average life expectancy will continue to climb in the coming decades, albeit at a slower pace than we’ve seen in the past. Babies born in 2050 can expect to live to around 80 on average if current trends continue. That’s up from a global average life expectancy of about 74 today. The greatest gains are expected in regions currently facing the highest rates of premature death and disability, places like sub-Saharan Africa.

While longer lifespans are certainly something to celebrate, the researchers caution that those extra years won’t necessarily be spent in good health. In fact, the proportion of life spent living with some kind of illness or disability is forecasted to grow. Across all regions, people will be living more years with chronic diseases and injuries than in the past.

What’s driving this concerning trend? In a word, aging. As lifespans extend and fertility rates decline, the world population will get much grayer in the coming decades. The study predicts that by 2050, over 12 percent of people globally will be over the age of 70, nearly double the proportion today. While advancing age is a key risk factor for many chronic diseases, population aging alone doesn’t tell the whole story.

The researchers also point to major ongoing shifts in the types of diseases and injuries that impact human health. While the 20th century was defined by incredible progress against infectious killers like malaria and diarrheal diseases that strike in childhood, the coming decades will be increasingly dominated by non-communicable diseases more commonly associated with older age – things like heart disease, diabetes, and dementia.

Doctor talking to patient in hospital bed — The study predicts that by 2050, over 12 percent of people globally will be over the age of 70, nearly double the proportion today. (© Monkey Business – stock.adobe.com)

Globally, the leading causes of premature death and disability in 2050 are forecasted to be ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic lung diseases, with common infections continuing to fall in the rankings. This changing disease landscape reflects not only an aging population but also shifting lifestyles and environments, with factors like obesity, unhealthy diets, and air pollution taking an increasing toll.

Of course, these are just projections based on current trends, not a definitive vision of our fate. The researchers stress that the future of health is still very much in human hands. To illustrate this, they modeled some alternative scenarios, imagining what 2050 might look like if we made dramatic progress in key areas.

For example, in an optimistic scenario where exposure to environmental risks like unsafe water and household air pollution is eliminated by 2050, over 57 million early deaths could be prevented compared to the “business as usual” forecast. Likewise, dramatically reducing behavioral risks like smoking and obesity could avert over 400 million cumulative early deaths. A scenario of “moon shot” improvements in childhood nutrition and vaccine coverage showed more modest but still notable impacts.

Achieving changes of this magnitude is certainly a tall order that would require major societal shifts and investments. However, the modeling suggests that changing our trajectory is possible with coordinated, ambitious efforts. In contrast, the researchers caution that if efforts to continue recent progress against infectious diseases were to falter, the forecasts of improved health would quickly fall apart, especially in the most vulnerable populations.

So, where does this leave the world? The study authors say there’s both promise and peril on the horizon.

The world has made tremendous strides in human health and longevity, but we can’t rest on those laurels. Humanity in 2050 may enjoy longer lifespans on average but also more years spent coping with chronic conditions if current trends continue without change.

Changing that trajectory isn’t impossible, but it will take serious work. At the individual level, that means doubling down on the age-old pillars of health – things like eating well, staying active, avoiding smoking, and keeping up with preventive care. At the societal level, it demands policies that make healthy choices accessible and appealing for all, coupled with tireless efforts to develop new ways to predict, prevent, and treat disease.

The journey to 2050 and beyond will no doubt hold many surprises, but one thing is clear: the future of human health isn’t fixed.

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Americans are falling behind in life expectancy — A doctor explains why

December 17, 2024 - by USA Facts News - Leave a Comment

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Don’t expect to see much gain in life expectancy over the next few decades. According to an analysis published in the journal The Lancet, life expectancy in the United States is expected to increase by just 2.1 years over the next three decades. Specifically, that means going from 78.3 years in 2022 to 80.4 years in 2050. These predictions come from a forecasting model from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Researchers assessed the impacts of hundreds of health risks and diseases in individual states and the country. They compared these to more than 200 other countries, including high-income and some middle-income countries. The U.S. is expected to lose ground in life expectancy gains, dropping behind most other wealthy nations.

In 2022, the U.S. ranked 49^th in overall life expectancy among the 204 countries studied. That is expected to fall to 66^th in 2050, according to the IMHE analysis.

Life expectancy among women is predicted to improve less than that of men, reducing the gap between the sexes. According to the rankings, women are expected to drop from 51^st to 74^th and from 51^st to 65^th among men. The slight increase in life expectancy is expected to be attributable to a decline in a few leading causes of death, including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

The researchers assert that addressing a few key risk factors could alter the expectations for the better. These include reducing obesity and decreasing rates of smoking and drug use disorders. The scientists predict that these improvements could add six months to overall life expectancy by 2050.

“In spite of modest increases in life expectancy overall, our models forecast health improvements slowing down due to rising rates of obesity, which is a serious risk factor to many chronic diseases and forecasted to leap to levels never before seen,” says Christopher Murray, director of IHME and co-senior author of the new research, in a media release. “The rise in obesity and overweight rates in the U.S., with IHME forecasting over 260 million people affected by 2050, signals a public health crisis of unimaginable scale.”

GLP-1 drugs are showing promise in affecting rates of diabetes and diabetes control, but their use in weight reduction is too new to predict their effects on life expectancy. These were not calculated into the prediction.

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control indicate that deaths from drug overdose have started to decline from record levels but remain high. IMHE predicts that drug use disorders and overdose deaths will increase between now and 2050. In fact, the institute estimates that the mortality rate from drug use disorders will be the highest in the world – more than twice as high as the second-highest country, which is Canada.

“The stark contrast that’s forecasted in the next 30 years comes after a concerted effort by federal, state, and local government agencies and health systems launched after the opioid crisis was declared a public health emergency in 2017. The opioid epidemic is far from over, and greater effectiveness and continued expansion of programs to prevent and treat drug use are still needed,” writes Ali Mokdad, IHME professor and lead author of the report.

If the United States eliminated risk in several key areas, there would be 550,000 fewer deaths in the U.S. in 2050, and life expectancy would increase by nearly four years. This change would align with mortality rates in Canada. Those key areas include childhood nutrition and vaccination, environment, metabolic risks, and high-risk behaviors.

A doctor’s recommendation

This life expectancy does not have to be your life expectancy. These are averages. Don’t be average. Instead, do what you have to do to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Move your body. Move your mind. Build supportive relationships. Have as much fun as possible. Cultivate gratitude. Most importantly – give. Give of your time, your resources, your skills and talents. You’ll get more life out of life and may extend your life.